Innovative solutions for energy conversion and safety of low and zero-carbon fuels in waterborne transport (ZEWT Partnership)

• Near-to-market solutions for safe integration and use of low and zero-carbon fuel power conversion systems as main power source for vessels above 5 000 GT with ≥55 % shaft propulsion efficiency

• Knowledge repository for equipment manufacturers and ship owners to support standardisation and ensure technical compatibility between fuels and energy conversion systems

• Knowledge repository for public authorities, port terminals and ship operators to identify hazardous scenarios, assess impacts in ports, provide risk control options and establish protocols for safe response to accidental fuel releases

• Innovative software tools for optimised integration of energy technologies, enhancing competitive advantage of EU shipyards and equipment manufacturers

• Certified training and upskilling of the workforce across the value chain (on-board crews, port workers) in bunkering operations and port authority authorisations

Proposals must address either Area A (fuel cells delivering ≥5 MW on low/zero-carbon fuels) or Area B (ICEs delivering ≥10 MW with ≥85 % low/zero-carbon fuel supply), and cover all of the following: a full-scale demonstrator on a vessel > 5 000 GT for 100 % energy load and ≥55 % shaft propulsion efficiency; emission reductions of ≥90 % NOx (vs IMO Tier III), ≥90 % SOx, ≤5 mg/kWh PM; fuel flexibility and assessment of CAPEX/OPEX and opportunity costs; innovative on-board storage, handling and mixing with pilot fuel reduction or elimination (for Area B); prevention and mitigation of slippage and fugitive emissions; optimized integration of energy technologies with virtual prototyping and hardware-in-the-loop verification; identification of standardisation gaps and roadmap development; definition of technical compatibility parameters; quantitative and qualitative risk/safety assessments, bunkering rules and emergency response protocols including human and organisational factors; exploitation and dissemination strategy with business cases, scalability, commercialization, Innovation Fund and CEF AFIF uptake; training, reskilling and upskilling material for the workforce; three replication studies across different ship types; development of pollutant-specific after-treatment systems; justification of EU added value and strategic autonomy, prioritisation of EU/EEA industry, IP management; use of big data and data science for real-world references; alignment with Fuel EU Maritime regulation, IMO GHG strategy and European Economic Security Strategy; reporting to ZEWT KPIs